Two years after he wowed audiences as a murderous businessman tormented by a fly in Eega/Naan Ee , Sudeep is back in Tamil with Chimbudevan’s ambitious project starring Vijay, Sridevi and Shruti Haasan. “Everyone is looking forward to the film. All of us are thrilled to come together for a project that boasts such a star cast. I’m waiting to slip into the character,” he says.
Sudeep’s energy and enthusiasm is infectious enough to have crossed the oceans and touched hearts in faraway Japan. Junko, a grandmother from Japan, recently flew down to Bangalore with her granddaughter to watch his latest Kannada film Maanikya , and visit him at home. “Apparently, my photos adorn mobile phone covers and chewing gum wrappers there!”
The actor will also be seen in Rajamouli’s bilingual magnum opus Bahubali/Mahabali , where he plays an important role. Sudeep’s bonding with Rajamouli is by now legendary. “He’s a rare director, such a comfort to work with. Be it a top star or a supporting artiste, he speaks the one language he knows and understands — cinema. He knows every actor’s weakness; he extracts what he wants.”
Was the unusual fly revenge saga a difficult role to say yes to, considering his image back home? “The character was a vehicle for a great performance. It was the best that could happen to me at that time.
It made for some beautiful moments in life. That’s all I needed,” he says, continuing: “Rarely does a project come along that excites you immediately. You should then think only with your heart, forgetting image. If your approach is sincere, your fans will love you. Such scripts allow you to grow as an individual and as an actor.”
Every actor, he says, needs a reason to wake up. “Like a child who returns from school, bursting with stories, I’d like to return home eager to tell my family about the new things I did. Money is not all. An actor needs a greater calling. I need variations, challenges…I need to satisfy myself.”
Is this actor so full of life on screen a party animal? No way, he says, “I am a home bird. I can’t handle noise.” Instead, he calls friends and family home, or takes daughter Saanvi to the park. “Once there, I make friends with her buddies, turn a child again, and play.”
Even there, he almost always agrees to photo requests with kids. “I wouldn’t want my Saanvi to be disappointed if she went up to someone for a photo. Actors must remember there’s a piece of us in every fan,” says the down-to-earth Sudeep.
The actor, who’s shooting for the second season of the Kannada version of ‘Big Boss’, says the television show is a huge responsibility. “I like to do different things, and not restrict myself. Everyone will get old. I have to hand over my ‘image’ to the next person in line and walk away. I realise that. I like to live for the moment.”
